Just out of curiosity

IT Loser

robindch wrote:

BTW, does anybody know anybody who's changed religion to bump their kids up the queue? A few friends of my brother have, while a good ex-catholic friend of mine changed hats when nobody was looking, and got a 50% grant from the CofI to attend a CofI boarding school

God is always watching...hence the expression "As Christ Is My Witness"

Always Rome, Never The Dome.

RD/ID

*Sigh* We are still such a backward country. If a school can select a child based on their opinions on the origin and nature of the universe (aka their religion) then under no circumstance would I permit my tax euros be transfered to the school( If i had a choice). It seems completely illegal and in conflict with our human rights. It is bad enough we let the state fund the promotion of a particular religion but when that extends to discriminating against young children I can not take it.

stevejazzx

My son is 4. His Mum is Russian Orthodox. Nowadays in the real world we are actually both non- theists/atheists. Our son is not christened. We thought it would be a good idea to let grow up and assign to himself over time his own beliefs. We understood that the 'drop of water' scenario was harmless in a sense but I am forcibly against doing stuff just for the sake of society. I think it is cowardice tbh particulary if it just affords a more comfortable progression into an educational facility. The act itself has great merit to the priest who carries it out and I just can't see how one can justify such dishonesty between themselves and any institution, even the church. Where does something like that end? Do we merely just sell our own beliefs when we need something in return?
He is due to go to start school next september. Do I have to get him chrsitened? Will I be asked for cert? Sigh, it's like living in the 20's.

robindch

> Do we merely just sell our own beliefs when we need something in return?

Well, that's what religious people are required to do -- they're told that they must believe something in return for some reward or other. In the recently-evolved "protestant" variations of christianity, this involves convincing yourself to believe the sentence "Jesus saves", or some variation of it, in return for which belief, you won't die when you die. If you know what I mean.

btw, I'm in the same boat as you -- my kid's mum was born Russian Orthodox, and she's as practiced an atheist as myself. Neither of us have any intention of going through some primitive water ceremony out in Harold's Cross or anywhere else, in order to keep some religious guy in a job, or in return for the payment for which, he may or may not bump Dasha a few places up the queue, past the detestable narod who might be less willing to sell their principles.

<grunt>!

RD/ID

As regards the (state) schools right to discriminate, could someone clarify - Has this happened to them or someone they know? I mean I just can't believe it is allowed, as the vast majority of schools in the country are religious (well all of them).:mad: Time for a revolution!

RD/ID

What pisses me off so much about this government is how they unscrupulously used our money to pay for the sins of the church. Their reasoning that the church didn't have the where with all to foot the bill, being completely fabricated. One of the reasons for all the abuses that took place was due to the fact that the state allowed the church act on it's behalf in exchange for providing land or funding for the services. A perfect solution would have been to force the church to sell the schools and hospitals back to the state to pay for the damages.